Vaccination project continues...

As you know, I'm in the process of sorting out my vaccines before travelling (ouch, my arm still hurts from yesterday!), and Hepatitis B and Rabies are on my mind right now, should I, should I not? They will seriously affect my budget, and they are not required (only recommended) for South America. They cover extreme cases, like infection from bodily fluids or being bitten by an animal, but these things can happen anywhere, and when you think about it, they don't happen that often, unless you've got a medical or veterinary job. So I'm on the verge of not taking them, just getting good health insurance, which would work out cheaper then both of these vaccines. It could be a better solution.

On more optimistic hand, I have finally cut my hair today, managed to track down my favourite hair stylist, who went mobile, and found her place. First hairstylist, after 11 years of looking, who is actually listening to what you want. Found her only now, when I'm about to leave the country, boo.. Never mind. My next haircut will be done in South America - and I bet this will be an experience - I better focus on learning Spanish phrases for 'short choppy bob', it could be more useful then knowing days of the week :) Miercoles!

Update on Malaria Tablets

I'm absolutely shattered today, had a busy day, but I promised myself to stick to the plan no matter what - and the plan says write a blog post every day, so here I go. Apologies if it doesn't make sense, though. If you feel like skipping this one, I won't take it against you, I'll take it as an excuse to jabber on...
Anyway, I'm glad I have pushed myself to wash, vacuum and wax the car yesterday, and now it shines so amazingly, I'm really proud. I took all the photos of exterior, interior and the engine, to list it online. I also prepared few 'For Sale' ads which are now fitted in the car - I already had one guy asking me about the car, so they must be working!

I was at the surgery today to get necessary vaccines for the travel. It turns out that my Hepatitis A and Yellow Fever are still valid, so I only got the Typhoid jab today. I thought I already had Hep B before, but apparently it's not available free on NHS, it is necessary to pay for it, and the cost of 3 set of jabs is about £130. But when I read a little bit more online, it turns out that most adults received basic Hep B vaccines as kids which are enough for everyday life, unless you work in health industry. It basically covers from any contamination when you're in touch with bodily fluids. But for most adults the early years' vaccines are perfectly enough.

Now, with Malaria tablets, you can actually get them from Boots or larger supermarkets with their own pharmacy section. It's even better to buy them over the counter, as getting them on NHS is the most expensive way. You can also order malaria tablets online, if you fill in a questionnaire about your health, other medications you're currently taking and treatment history. The cost online starts at about £20 and depends on the time you spend in the Malaria risk area. You need to take the tablets few days before your trip, everyday while you are there, and continue for up to 4 weeks after you come back. You don't need to take tablets all the time you are in the country with Malaria risk. Large cities and high altitude places are usually Malaria free. Only if you decide going on the jungle treck or a back-country trip, this time counts only as high-risk.

The most common Malaria tablets are: Malarone, Doxycycline and Lariam, which are all available online. Apparently Malarone is the safest, you take the tablets for the shortest time, and they have got no side effects. Yet they are most expensive. Lariam and Doxycycline are little cheaper, but you have to take them for longer time, and they have number of side effects, from greater sensitivity to the sunlight, nausea to anxiety. But I think, with every medication, this information is included just for warning, but the chance of risk could be small.
I will look into that a little bit deeper tomorrow and try to sort it out. Thanks for sticking with me up till now dear reader, have a lovely evening!

Vaccinations for South America

I'm in the process of sorting out all the necessary vaccinations before leaving UK, luckily NHS has got plenty of free jabs for South America. Hepatitis A and B as standard, but mine could still be valid since my trip to Sri Lanka, Rabies jab I  sorted in 2010, and got a booster, which covers me for 10 years - really worth doing for few quid extra. The ones they also offer at no extra cost are for Typhoid, Tetanus and Polio. You would simply need to sort out the Yellow Fever jabs yourself, but there's always some specialist clinic in every area that can offer that for a small amount. Basically none of these is mandatory before entering any country in South America, but from time they might require a certificate of vaccination against Yellow Fever when arriving in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador and few others.

Hepatitis A and B is rather important, as it protects you from most common stomach bugs when eating foreign food. It worked so far, we even ate street food in Sri Lanka, and I drank a water from the stream (no purification), although it was in the mountains, so that's this water had no chance of any contamination yet.

Rabies is recommended for your own peace of mind, if you get bitten by a stray dog, bat or a monkey, as they might carry the infection. Rabies can cause inflammation of the spinal cord and the brain. It is not transmitted by bodily fluids. Read more about Rabies here.

If you will be travelling to the rain forest jungle and stay in remote areas, it is also recommended that you get the Malaria protection too. You cannot get the vaccinations, but you can protect yourself by avoiding the mosquito bites. Mosquito net and the Citronella spray has been a godsend on our trip to Sri Lanka - the mosquitos absolutely resented the citronella spray, so yay for that!
Also it is recommended that you start taking malaria pills on a regular basis three weeks prior to your trip. In UK chloroquine and proguanil can be purchased from a local pharmacy. Read more about malaria prevention here.